


Replacement

by Robin Hood (kjack89)



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Domestic Fluff, Episode Tag, Episode: s20e12 Dear Ben, Established Relationship, Insecurity, Jealousy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-23
Updated: 2019-01-23
Packaged: 2019-10-15 03:09:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17520884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kjack89/pseuds/Robin%20Hood
Summary: Rafael blinked. “Liv asked Stone to be Noah’s baseball coach?” he repeated, as if unsure he’d understood.“Yeah.”“Olivia Benson asked Peter Stone to be Noah’s baseball coach?”“Yes.”“The same Peter Stone who used to be a Major League Baseball player?”Sonny’s scowl was back in full force. “See, I told you you’d think it was stupid.”





	Replacement

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so I haven't actually watched SVU since S19E15 (In Loco Parentis) for personal reasons, but I didn't turn my TV off in time after the Good Place this past Thursday, and since the episode more or less opened with Liv saying that Noah needed, direct quote here, "masculine energy" in his life (??????), I knew I needed to watch just to see how much of a shitshow it ended up being.
> 
> And it did not disappoint on that front.
> 
> It also led to me yelling (or, well, typing in my Discord group chat) "HOW DARE YOU SIT WHERE HE SAT" at one point, which is really what inspired this. Like I said, I haven't been watching, so if I got any long-term details incorrect, that's my bad.
> 
> Much thanks to ships_to_sail for being all around incredible and also for the beta/encouragement.
> 
> Usual disclaimer. Please be kind and tip your fanfic writers in the form of comments and/or kudos!

“Sonny, I’m home,” Rafael called, toeing off his shoes inside the doorway to their apartment before tossing his keys into the bowl.

Sonny didn’t answer him, but that wasn’t unusual. Rafael could hear him moving around in the kitchen, so he dropped his briefcase on the coffee table before making his way into the kitchen, a soft smile automatically appearing when he saw Sonny standing at the stove, distractedly stirring a large pot of red sauce. “Uh-oh,” Rafael said, splaying a hand across Sonny’s back and leaning in to kiss his cheek. “What’s wrong?”

“What makes you think something’s wrong?” Sonny asked, his brow furrowing even as he turned to capture Rafael’s lips with his own.

Rafael waved a dismissive hand. “You only cook red sauce from scratch when you’re upset about something,” he said, brushing past Sonny to grab two wine glasses from the cabinet. “I assume it has something to do with crushing all those tomatoes.”

Sonny’s scowl didn’t quite lighten, though he did accept a glass of wine from Rafael. “We had red sauce last week and I was in a great mood,” he pointed out.

“We had your mother’s red sauce last week,” Rafael pointed out, propping a hip against the counter and taking a sip of wine. “So the only work you had to do was roughly the same as opening a jar of Ragu.”

“Don’t let my ma hear you compare her red sauce to Ragu or you’ll be exiled from Staten Island for at least a year,” Sonny warned.

“Promise?”

Sonny rolled his eyes but his scowl had at last faded, and he even managed a light chuckle as he shook his head. “Fine,” he allowed, turning his attention back to the bubbling sauce. “But I dunno if I’d say I’m upset…”

“You and I can argue and have argued semantics all day, but as much fun as that is, I’d prefer to hear what’s on your mind,” Rafael said mildly, taking another sip of wine.

Sonny sighed. “It’s about Stone.”

Rafael made a face and looked at his glass of wine as if he had picked it up by mistake. “Should I get a stronger drink?” he asked.

“That’s up to you, but if it makes you feel better, it’s not about work.”

“Surprisingly, that doesn’t make me feel better,” Rafael said, before draining his glass of wine. “Do I have to punch Stone? Do I  _ get _ to punch Stone? Because I will, you know, if—”

“As strangely noble as I find your desire to deck a Manhattan ADA,” Sonny interrupted dryly, “it’s not anything about him, really. It’s…” He trailed off, shaking his head again. “It’s about Noah.”

Rafael frowned. “Now you’ve really piqued my interest. Before you launch into whatever long-winded story this is bound to be, promise me this won’t end with me needing to call CPS.”

Sonny snorted. “You take the boy out of SVU—”

“Finish that statement and you’ll be sleeping on the couch for a week,” Rafael said sourly. “Lest I remind you that my leaving SVU was not entirely voluntary.”

“Well,” Sonny said, clearing his throat. “We’ll leave that topic alone — for tonight, at least.”

“So then what happened with Noah and Stone that doesn’t involve me needing to call CPS?”

Sonny sighed. “You’ll think I’m being stupid.”

“That has literally never stopped you in the past,” Rafael said with a smirk, but when Sonny didn’t smile, Rafael’s faded. “Hey, there’s nothing you can say or do that would make me think you’re stupid.”

Sonny’s lips twitched. “Really?”

Rafael started to answer, then paused. “Ok, fine, there is plenty you could say or do that would make me think you’re stupid, and for the sake of honesty, there’s plenty you’ve said and done that has made me think the same, but that’s hardly the point.”

“You’re lucky I value honesty,” Sonny said with a chuckle.

“I’m lucky in more ways than that.”

Rafael’s voice was low, but honest, and Sonny smiled perhaps his first true smile of the evening, and he quickly bent to kiss Rafael’s cheek. “You’re right, though,” he said as he straightened. “That’s not the point. The point is…” Again he hesitated, but this time, Rafael didn’t interrupt. “The lieu asked Stone to be Noah’s baseball coach.”

Rafael blinked. “Liv asked Stone to be Noah’s baseball coach?” he repeated, as if unsure he’d understood.

“Yeah.”

“Olivia Benson asked Peter Stone to be Noah’s baseball coach?”

“Yes.”

“The same Peter Stone who used to be a Major League Baseball player?”

Sonny’s scowl was back in full force. “See, I told you you’d think it was stupid.”

Rafael caught him before he turned away in a huff. “I didn’t say it was stupid,” he said evenly. “I just pointed out the obvious, with hope that you’d explain further.” 

“It’s just…” Sonny sighed and looked away. “I used to be that.”

“Used to be what?”

Sonny waved a dismissive hand. “The guy the lieu would ask to take Noah to the park or to a tee-ball game,” he muttered. “Or a basketball game, or that one year where he wanted to play peewee hockey...that was always my thing.”

“Because Liv, for all her charms, isn’t exactly athletic, and you couldn’t find Rollins or Fin dead at a sporting event,” Rafael said with a short laugh. 

But Sonny didn’t look amused. “Yeah. And now, with Stone…”

He trailed off and Rafael nodded slowly. “So you’re upset that she didn’t ask you.”

“It’s more the  _ way _ that she didn’t ask me,” Sonny mumbled, not quite meeting Rafael’s eyes.

“You can certainly tell you were raised with three sisters,” Rafael muttered, pouring himself a second glass of wine. “Ok, so walk me through exactly what happened and particularly what you mean by the way she didn’t ask you.”

Sonny sighed again. “Here, trade places with me and stir this, would you?” he asked, holding the wooden spoon out to Rafael.

“So this story is going to involve you needing to talk with your hands,” Rafael said, though he obediently stepped in front of the stove. “I really should have made myself a stronger drink.”

Though Sonny glared at him, he didn’t deny the reason why he wanted Rafael to take over the red sauce, just wiped his hands on his pants before crossing his arms in front of his chest. “So I had to stop into Liv’s office to drop off a file and she was on the phone, right? And normally I’d just leave the file and get out since it’s not like I’m one to eavesdrop or anything.”

“You’re very courteous that way,” Rafael muttered, licking the spoon and making an approving noise at the taste.

“Right,” Sonny said, clearly refusing to be distracted from the topic at hand. “But she looked at me and sorta, y’know—” He made a vague gesture with his hand. “Told me to stick around, so I did, and then she got off the phone and I was like, ‘Long day?’ And she was like—”

“Sonny, I love you, but if you recount this conversation word for word, I will murder you.”

Sonny gave him a dirty look. “So apparently, it had been Noah’s school calling because he’d been acting up a bit. Didn’t wanna play with others, or something like that. And so she said that she thought that getting him into baseball would help him, get some of that energy out and encourage a team atmosphere—”

Rafael snorted. “Because if anyone understands teamwork, it’s Olivia Benson.”

Sonny ignored him. “So I said that maybe he needed someone to play with, because, y’know, the rec center staff can only do so much, and then I mentioned that it seemed like just the other day that Noah was still playing tee-ball, and then she said—”

“Sonny. I swear to God.”

“It adds color!” Sonny protested, but he was laughing. “Fine, but this next conversation point is relevant, I swear. I told her that I used to coach my niece Mia’s softball team, back when she was in junior high, and Liv, uh, she realized…” His expression twisted. “She realized that he didn’t need a dad to play ball with him, which was what I guess she’d been thinking, but just male figure in his life, so she thanked me and of course I was like, oh, it’s not problem, Lieu, I’d be happy to help—”

He broke off, his expression falling, and Rafael nodded slowly. “And then she asked Stone.”

“And then she told me she was gonna ask Stone,” Sonny said dully. “Like it hadn’t even occurred to her that I might…”

He shrugged and stepped forward, shooing Rafael away from the stove. Rafael went willingly enough, even though his brow creased as he went. “Well that was shitty of Liv,” he said bluntly, grabbing his glass of wine from the counter and taking a swig.

“That’s my wine,” Sonny scolded, reaching out to snatch the glass from him, and Rafael rolled his eyes, even as he grabbed the other glass. 

“We literally can’t go more than a few hours without swapping saliva, and you’re somehow concerned about whose wine glass is whose?”

“I am when my wine glass has more wine in it.”

Rafael considered it for a moment. “Fair,” he allowed. “But back to the topic at hand. Shitty of Liv to overlook you and treat you like that.”

Sonny shrugged, sighing slightly as he turned the burner off. “Yeah,” he said. “And I know that we’ve had plenty of conversations about having kids before—” Rafael choked on his sip of wine. “—and I’m not trying to bring it up again, I swear. I haven’t changed my mind about wanting kids.” He gave Rafael a look. “So you can exhale at any time before I gotta call 911.” Rafael spluttered a laugh and Sonny managed a small smile, though it was short-lived. “But you know that part of the reason I’m ok with that is because of all the kids in our life. And now…” He trailed off, looking miserable. “Now I don’t even know if I have that.”

Rafael reached out automatically to pull Sonny to him, though he took his time putting words together, since he knew that in this arena, he was no expert. “You have family that you’re close with,” he said finally, looking up at him. “So I know that you know that nothing and no one can come between that. And that goes for Liv and Noah as well. They’re your family, too, and no one else can take the place of Uncle Sonny for Noah. Not even Peter Stone and his…” Rafael couldn’t quite stop his sneer. “Career.”

“Mmm,” Sonny said, resting his hands against Rafael’s hips and bending down to kiss him lightly. “His ADA career or his baseball career?”

“Both.”

Sonny laughed lightly and kissed Rafael once more. “I’m just glad you’re on my side.”

“Always,” Rafael told him, with no hesitation or even a hint of irony. “Always.”

Sonny half-smiled and leaned back against the kitchen counter. “Of course, that doesn’t make this thing with Stone suck any less.”

“I’d imagine not,” Rafael said honestly, hesitating before adding, “Maybe you should give Bella a call. See what your niece is up to and if she’s interested in taking up softball.”

Sonny raised his eyebrows. “Fiona?” he asked, somewhat incredulously. “Look, I love that kid more than my own life, but she can barely walk in a straight line without tripping over something.”

“That doesn’t mean she wouldn’t be good at softball with a little coaching!” Rafael protested. “Or field hockey. Or…” He cast around for another reasonable alternative. “Being a lesbian, if she was open to it.”

“Are those the only things you think I could relate to my niece about?” Sonny asked, looking like he was torn between laughter and exasperation.

Rafael wet his lips. “Would you be angry if I said yes?” Sonny did laugh at that and Rafael smiled as well, for just a brief moment, before he turned serious. “In any case, I just want you to remember — Peter Stone isn’t you. You haven’t been replaced, and you never could be. Ok?”

“Ok,” Sonny whispered, bending to kiss Rafael again. “I love you.”

Rafael huffed a laugh as Sonny turned them so that Rafael was the one with his back against the counter, Sonny’s kiss turning hungry as he tugged at Rafael’s tie. “And I love you, too,” he said, his breath hitching just slightly as he lifted his chin to give Sonny easier access to his neck. “But before you get too engaged here, I have just one question.”

Sonny pressed a kiss to the side of his neck before pulling back slightly. “What’s that?”

“Did you actually make anything to go with that red sauce, or…?” Sonny stared at him and Rafael grinned. “You didn’t, did you?”

“It’s not my fault!” Sonny said defensively. “I was distracted by this Stone thing and then you came home and that only distracted me more…”

As if proving Sonny’s point, Rafael rucked Sonny’s shirt up and rubbed his thumbs in circles against Sonny’s bare skin, just above the waistband of his pants. “Well, I am quite distracting,” he allowed with a smirk. “So what do you say we order Chinese and I distract you further until the delivery gets here?”

“I could just make some pasta,” Sonny mumbled, his words half caught by Rafael’s lips. “It’d be faster. And cheaper.”

“Sure,” Rafael agreed, tugging the tongue of Sonny’s belt free. “But where’s the fun in that?”

Sonny groaned a laugh, letting Rafael push him towards the bedroom. “But what’re we gonna do with the sauce?”

“Freeze it or give it away for all I care,” Rafael told him distractedly.

Sonny grabbed his wrists to hold him place. “You wanna just give my special red sauce away?” he demanded, insulted.

Rafael raised an eyebrow. “No, what I want is to get you in bed. Do you have a problem with that, Detective?” Sonny swallowed, hard, and Rafael smirked. “Yeah. I didn’t think so.”

They stumbled their way into the bedroom, leaving all thoughts of red sauce and Peter Stone far behind them.

* * *

 

The apartment was quiet when Sonny got home, the sole light still on in the living room as sure a sign as any that Rafael had already gone to bed.

Which was unusual, because it wasn’t like Sonny was  _ that _ late, and since he’d spent a few late nights at the office recently, he thoroughly expected Rafael to be waiting up for him. 

He quickly peeled off his coat and tugged off his shoes before quietly making his way into the bedroom where he paused in the doorway, looking at Rafael in bed.

Well. Clearly Rafael had waited up for him. But judging by the tension that tightened Rafael’s shoulder blades as he lay with his back facing the doorway, Sonny could only assume that this wasn’t in the way he had hoped. 

“What did I do?” Sonny asked, unclipping his badge and gun and setting them on the dresser. Rafael was silent and Sonny sighed. “I know you’re still awake and I can tell by the way you’re staring a hole in the wall that you’re pissed about something.”

“Am not,” Rafael muttered mutinously.

“What, pissed or staring a hole in the wall?” When Rafael didn’t answer, Sonny sighed again and sat down on the edge of the bed. “You wanna talk or you wanna sulk? It’s up to you.”

Rafael snorted. “Ah yes, with support like that, I can see why I would be so open to sharing.”

“I don’t know what I did, and honestly I’m too tired to play 20 questions with you over it, so consider this a blanket apology for whatever I did and whatever I’m bound to do in the future.”

When Rafael didn’t say anything, Sonny sighed again and leaned over to tug the covers off of him. Rafael hissed and flipped over to glare at him as soon as he felt the cold air. “Real mature,” he scoffed.

“Says the almost 50 year old giving me the silent treatment.”

Rafael’s scowl deepened. “I was hardly silent,” he snapped. 

Sonny rolled his eyes. “Maybe not, but you weren’t exactly forthcoming about whatever bug’s up your ass tonight, so either tell me what’s wrong or I’m gonna go sleep on the couch because I’m wiped.”

He stood as if to make good on his threat but Rafael sat up, still sullen. “You said you were working late tonight. With Stone.”

Sonny blinked. “Because I was.”

“Then why did I get a notification from Foursquare that you had checked in to Forlini’s?”

“Because I’m on a one man mission to win back the mayorship in Foursquare from you?” Sonny joked, but when Rafael didn’t smile, he sighed. “We were working. We wanted to continue working over a drink so we went to Forlini’s. That’s all there is to it, Raf, I swear.”

Rafael didn’t look convinced and Sonny rolled his eyes before adding, “You and I used to do it all the time.”

“Which is exactly my point, Detective.”

Sonny stared at him. “Wait, you mean...you think that…” He barked a laugh, drawing a hand across his face. “God, Raf, I’m not into Stone!”

“Well, obviously I know that,” Rafael shot back waspishly. “He’s hardly your type. But he’s also...there.”

“There,” Sonny repeated blankly. “There...at SVU?”

Rafael waved a dismissive hand. “At SVU, in the courtroom, in my old office, in my seat at Forlini’s…”

Sonny’s expression softened. “We actually sat at a table at Forlini’s, not at the bar, for what that’s worth.”

Judging by the look Rafael gave him, it didn't mean much. “I wasn’t being literal. I more meant…” He trailed off, then shook his head. “Nevermind,” he huffed, lying back down in bed. “We don’t need to talk about it.”

“Obviously we do if you’re upset,” Sonny said mildly.

Rafael sighed, staring up at the ceiling. “I guess I’m thinking about how we got together,” he said quietly. “And how half of what made it happen was sheer proximity. And while I don’t think you have any feelings for Stone now, that doesn’t change the fact that you’re around him far more than you’re around me. And he is…” He made a face, as if the words he was about to speak were distasteful. “Certainly not unattractive, and younger than me by far.”

“Younger than me, too,” Sonny pointed out.

Rafael rolled his eyes. “By a whole year,” he scoffed. “And if you couple that with the fact that you’re around him as much as you used to be around me, I just wouldn’t be surprised if your feelings...changed.”

There were many tacks Sonny could take here, including telling Rafael that there was no world in which he’d consider Peter Stone more attractive than him, but looking at Rafael, knowing him as well as he did, Sonny knew that he wasn’t seeking to be flattered. Not really. His ego was still too large to require that. 

Rafael just wanted to know that he was still number 1 in someone’s book. And in that regard, Sonny was only too happy to indulge him.

Eventually, anyway.

“Raf, it amazes me because you look good in absolutely everything I’ve ever seen you wear, but jealousy? It’s not a good look on you.” 

“And I see we’re back to the supportive part of the evening.”

Sonny laughed as he sat down on the bed again, unbuttoning his shirt. “Listen, I’m always supportive of your various, uh, neuroses, to put it nicely. But I think you’re coming at this all wrong.”

“Oh, do you?” Rafael asked dryly, rolling over to watch Sonny as he undressed.

“Yeah, I do. For starters, you seem to think that proximity is the only reason why I fell for your crazy ass, and not, y’know, because of everything that makes you, well, you.” Sonny waved a vague hand in Rafael’s general direction. “And let me assure you, while  _ you _ may have fallen for me because of years of dedicated persistence in wearing you down, that wasn’t exactly the case with me.”

“No?” Rafael asked, voice heavy with doubt.

Sonny chuckled. “Raf, on the very first day we met, you looked me up and down and popped a pretzel nugget in your mouth, and I thought I was gonna swoon like in some Victorian novel.” He reached out to grab Rafael’s hand, lifting it to his lips and pressing a kiss against his knuckles. “I was sunk from day one. I’ve never felt that way about anyone else.” He turned Rafael’s hand over to kiss his palm, grinning when Rafael squirmed at the ticklish feeling. “And no amount of proximity is gonna change that.”

“Don’t tell Rollins,” Rafael warned, a little breathily. “I think she’s still holding out hope that it’ll work out between you two.”

Sonny snorted and dropped Rafael’s hand. “That’s not funny and you know it,” he told Rafael, standing and depositing his shirt in the hamper before changing quickly into his pajama pants and rejoining Rafael in bed. Reaching out to pull him close and pressing a kiss against his shoulder before asking, “So we good?”

“We’ve never not been good,” Rafael told him, before pausing and amending, “Well, there was that time in early 2017—”

“I thought we had agreed not to mention that.”

Rafael cleared his throat. “Right, so we are absolutely fine.”

Sonny shifted to give him a look. “But something’s still not fine.”

He didn’t say it as a question but Rafael shrugged anyway. “I know you love me, I know you’re not going to magically fall in love with Stone just because of proximity, but…” He sighed. “I hate thinking that I can be so easily replaced.”

“Raf, there’s like 500 ADAs in Manhattan alone who could replace you.”

Rafael elbowed him in the stomach. “That’s not the point!”

“It  _ is _ the point,” Sonny shot back, wincing as he pushed Rafael’s elbow away. “Because any one of those 500 ADAs could have been assigned our bureau chief at any time, and we gotta do our jobs hoping they’re all equally qualified. But  _ you _ are so much more than that fucking job. The years you spent in the trenches with SVU? No one’s got that.” Rafael made a small noise of dissent and Sonny cut him off by kissing him, stroking his cheek lightly as he added, “Peter Stone sure as shit doesn’t have that.”

Rafael managed a smile. “I always knew those years wasted in that job would be good for something.”

Sonny made a disparaging noise in the back of his throat. “Uh, those years ‘wasted’ on that job got you me as well, so, uh, best years of your life and not at all wasted, I think.”

“No,” Rafael said, leaning in to kiss him, “the best years are still to come.”

“God, you’re such a sap,” Sonny said, but he was grinning.

“Yes, well, you love me nonetheless, so.”

“Goddamn right,” Sonny said before deepening the kiss between them, cupping Rafael’s cheek with one hand and pulling him even closer with his other.

Just as Sonny’s hand was  beginning to creep under Rafael’s pajama pants, his phone rang, and he broke away with a groan. “Fuck me.”

“I was trying to,” Rafael said waspishly, watching with narrowed eyes as Sonny rolled over to grab his phone off the nightstand, though his expression evened out when he saw the look on Sonny’s face. “Work?”

“The only thing that could get me outta bed right now,” Sonny sighed, standing and going to retrieve his clothes from the day. “And we were so close, too.”

“Well,” Rafael said, with a small smirk, “not  _ that _ close.”

“Speak for yourself,” Sonny grumbled, dressing himself in what had to be record time. “I swear, I’m gonna start charging NYPD hazard pay for every time they interrupt me when we’re about to... you know.”

Rafael raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know, actually. You want to spell that out for me?”

Sonny gave him a look as he knotted his tie. “You’re an ass who deserves blue balls.”

“Ouch,” Rafael said mildly. “Too bad that once you go, I get to take care of that, while you...well, not so much.”

Sonny inhaled sharply as Rafael, as if to prove his point, sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed and spread them wide. “That a promise?” he asked, his eyes darkening as he took an automatic step toward him.

“Mmm,” Rafael said, his grin turning feral as Sonny approached. “You know I don’t make promises I don’t intend to keep, Detective.”

Sonny swallowed, hard, but before he could say anything more, his phone dinged again and he groaned. “Shit. I really do gotta go.”

Rafael sobered instantly. “Another rape, I assume?”

Sonny just sighed. “Trust me, you don’t want the details.” He stepped between Rafael’s legs and leaned down to hold him tightly for a moment before kissing his forehead. “Don’t wait up for me.”

“You know I will.” Rafael hesitated, but in the end, his need for the last word won out. “Say hello to Stone for me if you see him.”

“He hasn’t replaced you,” Sonny called over his shoulder. “But if you keep it up, I might be tempted to.”

He headed out of the apartment with a smile on his face and to the sound of Rafael’s laughter.

* * *

 

Liv settled down on the edge of Noah’s bed as he went through the various steps of cocooning himself in his blankets. “Did you have a good time playing catch with Coach Stone after he came over today?” she asked, smoothing a hand over Noah’s hair.

Noah nodded eagerly. “Yeah!” he said. “I like Coach. He’s fun.”

“Well, good, sweetie,” Liv said, kissing the top of his head. “I’m glad you have fun with him.”

Noah nodded again, but something in his expression turned serious. “I do have fun with him,” he said, somewhat reluctantly, and Liv frowned.

“But?” she asked, and when Noah just shrugged, looking down at his sheets, she pressed gently, “It’s ok, bud, you can tell me. What’s going on?”

“I miss playing with Uncle Rafi and Uncle Sonny,” Noah said, his voice small. “Why don’t they want to come play with me anymore?”

“Oh, sweetheart—” Liv broke off, realizing she had never come up with a good way to explain Rafael’s departure to Noah, and that it was long past time she did. “Uncle Rafa started a new job, so he’s been very busy. And Uncle Sonny’s been working really hard too. Remember how I told you Aunt Amanda’s going to have a baby?” Noah nodded. “Well Uncle Sonny’s been trying to help out so she doesn’t have to work as hard.”

Noah considered that for a moment. “So that’s why they haven’t come to play?” he asked.

“Yes,” Liv told him. “That’s why.” She squeezed Noah’s shoulder. “And I know you like playing with Coach—”

“Yeah but he doesn’t play robots with me like Uncle Sonny and Uncle Rafi.”

Liv nodded slowly. “You’re right,” she said, swallowing against the sudden emotion that rose in her chest. “And it’s ok that you miss that. Coach isn’t Uncle Sonny, or Uncle Rafa.” She brushed the hair off of Noah’s forehead and managed a smile. “So how about this? You keep playing ball with Coach, and I’m going to invite Uncle Sonny and Uncle Rafa over this weekend so you can play robots. How does that sound?”

Noah grinned. “Ok,” he said, snuggling down into his blankets. “G’night, Mommy.”

“Night, baby,” Liv whispered, kissing him on the forehead before creeping out of his room and making a beeline to her phone.

She had a playdate to plan.


End file.
